SCOTTISH football last night descended into the mire of uncertainty and acrimony after reconstruction proposals failed at Hampden Park.

There was biting criticism of Roy McGregor, the Ross County chairman and, in particular, Stewart Gilmour, the St Mirren chairman, who voted against the 12-12-18 plan, ensuring the motion failed on the SPL rule that requires an 11-1 majority on such matters.

A major concession to change the voting protocol –allowing a 9-3 vote to be enough to effect change – was rebuffed by St Mirren and Ross County, sparking outrage among representatives of the other 10 clubs.

A positive vote from the SPL clubs was required if the proposal – that also contained a unified governing body and a redistribution of wealth –was to progress to a vote of the 30 Scottish Football League clubs on Friday. That meeting has been cancelled.

McGregor later told the BBC he had followed the wishes of his club's shareholders and fans to vote against the proposal. Gilmour left the meeting without comment.

The St Mirren chairman, however, was singled out for stinging criticism by Stewart Milne, the chairman of Aberdeen, and David Southern, managing director of Hearts.

Milne said: "I am very angry for today we have let down Scottish football. I think St Mirren Football Club have really got to go and pose themselves the question: why are they prepared to put the rest of Scottish football in jeopardy just because of their own selfish interests which they have been unable to explain in reasonable terms around the table today?"

He said the decision would have serious implications for in the short term, adding: "This is a massive, massive opportunity that has been blown, particularly on the whims of one club."

Asked why St Mirren voted against, Milne said: "I do not think anyone in that room could understand the logic and reasoning behind where they stand and you guys need to ask them very forcefully why they are prepared to put the whole of Scottish football on the line purely because of their own self interest."

Gilmour last week said the 11-1 voting protocol was a major barrier to his voting yes but Milne revealed that the clubs had proposed a 9-3 voting system but that was rejected by the St Mirren chairman. "There was massive concession on voting. Stewart moves from one thing to another. The voting structure is just another red herring," he said.

Southern was disconsolate over the failure to push the plans through. "There was a heck of a lot of good in this. I would use the analogy: it's like we're all in a burning building but there are certain people that won't want to step outside because it's raining outside," he said.

He added of St Mirren: "Everyone had been led to believe by one club that the stumbling block was the 11-1 vote. That stumbling block was removed. I do believe, and I think it's been shown today, that the 11-1 vote was just used as a smokescreen to protect other people's interests."'

This prompted speculation that the collapse of the SPL reforms could lead to an SPL2 or a top tier that Rangers would be invited to join.

Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPL, was asked if Rangers had been mentioned at the meeting yesterday and answered: "I don't believe so".

He expressed surprise, though, at the decision to block reform. "On two separate occasions, we had a unanimous and very clear view of what they [the clubs] wanted taken forward," he said.

Doncaster said he did not "have any mandate from the SPL clubs to talk about any Plan B at the moment" but said he had been in talks to find a sponsor for the league. It is believed these had been at a promising stage and that broadcasters had welcomed the revamped league, particularly the prospect of play-offs.

Stephen Thompson, the Dundee United chairman who revealed that his family has injected £5.6m into the club, warned that it might take years to return to this point.

"At Dundee United we were not happy with a number of the proposals, but we preferred to look at the undoubted benefits of the overall package for the game as a whole. My belief now is that it will be many years before other proposals backed by so many will reach the table again."

Celtic last night said in a statement: "We do not understand the rationale now offered for rejecting these proposals and the unwillingness to take the game forward positively. It is unfortunate that the vision shown by the vast majority of clubs is now not shared by all."

Rangers said: "The vast majority of supporters did not want 12-12-18 and the two clubs who voted against this should not be singled out for criticism. They stood up for what they and their fans believe."